DRUNKEN CHICKEN

INN PROGRESS

1 can (12 oz) beer
1 tbsp peeled, coarsely chopped fresh ginger root
grated zest (peel) of 1 lime, and its juice
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 green onions, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 fresh red chili, coarsely chopped
3 or 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp vegetable oil (canola preferred)
sea salt or coarse salt
freshly ground pepper
3-1/4 to 3-1/2-lb (1.75 kg) chicken, cut open and flattened

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1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Pour beer into a deep roasting pan and add ginger, lime zest and coriander seeds.
2. Grind cumin seed and make seasonings rub for the chicken. Using a food processor or mortar and pestle, combine cumin, onions, garlic, chili and rosemary and pulse in food processor or grind with mortar and pestle. Blend in paprika, turmeric, oil, salt and pepper. Mix into a paste and rub all over the chicken.
3. Lay chicken cut-side down on a rack that will fit over the roasting pan of beer. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes (longer if the chicken is larger), until the juices run clear when poked with a fork.
4. Turn oven to broil, or transfer to a grill pan or outdoor grill preheated to medium. Broil or grill until skin is crisp, up to five minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter and let stand for 10 minutes before serving with the lime juice.
serves 4

Thank heavens for gorgeous weather, because getting out into nature and looking for birds to photograph is the only thing that keeps me sane (such as it is ….) these days.

Today I hopped on the RE7 to Halbe to visit the Waldfriedhof and to take a look at the nearby lakes.

I am still cursing myself for not having hauled my camera out of my rucksack before getting off the train, because no sooner was I on terra firma than the most magnificent red kite (Rotmilan) flew by overhead, in perfect lighting. Finding a second chance at photographing a red kite is now my main obsession.

Anyway, the cemetery was overwhelming due to the sheer number of graves, and of course by far the majority of people buried there were terribly young.

Bonus tip: Restaurant Kalimera-am-See.

But first, a photo of a pigeon taken from my home.

On Wilmersdorf Cemetery and along Fennsee

I can highly recommend taking up photography as a hobby. I find that especially nature photography, and more speifically bird photography – or attempts thereat, can help forget.

If you do not have much time to get out into “real” nature, check out your local parks and cemeteries, and you’ll be surprised what you can find, once you start looking. And March is a great month for it – the birds are very active, and there are no leaves on the trees yet.

So, in gorgeous weather, I decided to set out early on my way to VHS in Prinzregentenstraße.

And early the next morning, I swung by my local cemetery on my way to my local LPG supermarket.

By the way, much as I hate pigeons, I have to admit, they can be quite photogenic.

And I was happy to see a treecreeper there for the first time. Tiny, always on the move, in camouflage colours it is difficult to spot, let along photograph.

I see more and more adults – especially men (??????) – with lollipops sticking out of their mouths. Apparently, it is a “coping mechanism”. I am wondering, again, whether Stephen Fry knew how prophetic he would turn out to be when he coined the phrase “the age of infantilism” about eight years ago. Back then, I think he was referring to silly socks and wearing baseball caps, most often back to front and indoors, incessantly. He probably did not in his wildest imagination foresee grown men with lollipops. But that seems to be a sight we now have to live with. (Our coping mechamism: Impulse control).

This “Naturschutzgebiet” was a great discovery which I definitely want to return to.

I left home around sunrise, and after spending several hours, which went by in a flash, I returned to Café Strudel for brunch.

In addition to the birds on the photos, and the usual suspets, I saw kleibers, treecreapers and longtailed tits.

Below is a very bad photo of some ducks I do not recall seeing in Berlin before, so perhaps they are just passing through. I am told they are Eurasian Wigeons: